Electric heater



March 11, 1941. J GQUGH 2,234,373

ELECTRIC HEATER Filed July 22, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VENTQR. Cog/v March J GQUGH ELECTRIC HEATER Filed July 22. 1939 2 SheetsSheet 2 Nam 1 Mamas ATTORNEYS,

Ratcnted Mar. 11, 1941 electric heaters and he portable roorwheat- "Le, invention to provide a .1 ved and clmpllvarious structural WATERS I ole heater structure.

object or the invention to pro= ctrlc heater or" improved J Z tlcularrly, provide a fill not or constitute a position the heater is place "3 that the heater structure n set or otherwise displaced from i position Mi Uher object of the invention to provlrle portable electric heater construction hava structure which may be moved to a acted position to facilitate shipment or the which can also be readily moved to and asahly retained in an extended or operative varlous other objects, advantages,and features of the invention will appear from the following specification when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred emloocllment of the invention is illustrated.

In the drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout:

Figure l is a general assembly view in front perspective illustrating a portable electric heater constructed in accordance with the principles of g the invention;

Fig. 2 is a detailed view of the handle structure showing the handle in extended or operative position;

Mg. 3 is a view illustrating the handle in retracted position, as for shipment;

Fig. 4 is a detailed view showing the wire guard member which terms a part 01 the construction;

Fla. 5 is a partial sectional view of the structure shown in Figure l on the line 5-5 thereof; 50 Fig. 6 is a side view of the heater illustrating the position which will automatically be assumed by the structure in the event that it is knocked or displaced from normal upright position;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view or the structure shown 55 in Figure 1 on the line 1-! thereof; and

o adjacent objects, no I he that comprises in a l gt ml, and

, spot-weld sheet piece l l, w e eby economically fabricated, structure,

side are provided with ezzctenslons l9 the lower cnds thereof, the er. enslons being turned inwardly, as best shown in 3, whereby to provide a series of feet upon which the heater may rest in spaced relation to the floor or other supporting surface. The feet members, which thus constitute merely integral stamped and cent extensions at the lower ends of the side walls, constitute an eflective means for supporting the heater in slightly spaced relation to the supporting surface, whereby to facilitate circulatlon of air underneath the construction and to maintain the main body of the frame parts out ofcontact with the supporting surface to minimize the transmission of heat thereto. In the embodiment illustrated, four such feet are provided, two extensions l8 being provided at the lower end of the side walls I! and G8,

The front wall of the sheet metal main frame piece E4 is provided with louvers or the like, as indicated at 29, and the side walls may be provided with ribbing, such as indicated at M (Fig. l) conforming to the contour oroutershape of the side walls. The louvers not only enhance the appearance of the construction but also serve as means for facilitating the circulation of air through the front wall 0! the heater, The louvers and the ribbing 2! may be readily stamped or pressed during the formation of the sheet metal pieces with which they are associated. The upper rear wall of the sheet metal piece 14 is also our 1 Bil ride on r5 :Zrame provided with a series of stamped openings 22 (Figs. 7 and 8) to facilitate the circulation of air through the upper rear heater wall. The openings 22 thus constitute means for permitting an upward draft of air through the heater along the rear side of the reflector structure. 1

For purposes of ornamentation, the front wall of the heater is provided with an ornamental strip 23 arranged between the louvers 20, and the side walls I! and I6 are provided with strips 24 and 25, respectively (Fig. 8). The strip 23 may be secured in position by the simple expedient of clinching its lower and upper ends 26 and 2'! (Figs. 1 and 7) around the associated sections of the front heater wall. Similarly,the side strips 24 and 25 are retained in position by clinching their lower ends 28 and 29 and their upper ends 30 and 3| into engagement with the respective side walls, the side walls to this end being provided with stamped slits into which the stripcnds 3B and 3i may be inserted. The foregoing constitutes a simplified means for securing the strips in position and yet eifectlvely holds them in place. The louvers 20 prevent lateral displacement of the strip 23. The side strips 24 and 25 are pre vented from lateral displacement at their upper ends by the slits into which their upper ends are inserted and at their lower ends by slightly indented sections 32 (Fig. 7) formed in the lower edge of the side walls.

As best shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the handle 33 is adapted to occupy an extended or operative position as shown in Fig. 2 or a retracted inoperative position as shown in Fig. 3. The handle may be retracted as in Fig. 3 during shipment, thus facilitating the insertion or arrangement of the heater within a shipping container. When set up for use, the handle may be pulled to the extended position shown in Fig. 2, in which position it may be readily grasped by the user rendering the heater readily portable from place to place. In accordance with the invention, the handle is adapted to be releasably held in extended position and, to this end, is provided with a U-shaped bracket part 34 adapted to project through openings 35 in the sheet metal piece It and is also provided with struck-out projections 36. When the handle is pulled to the operative position shown in Figure 2, it will be releasably held in such position by reason of the engagement, of the projections 85 against the top of the sheet metal piece M, the projections being slightly larger than the openings 35. However, the handle may be moved to retracted position if a definite downward force is applied thereto. When the handle is extended, as shown in Figure 2, it is maintained in spaced relation from the main body of the heater frame, thus imparting maximum cooling thereto.

The guard structure H is best shown in Figure 4. As illustrated, it comprises a fabricated wire structure ll consisting of a frame piece 37 and horizontal and vertical wires 38 and 39 welded or otherwise secured together to form a comparatively rigid guard structure. The vertical wires are provided at their upper and lower ends with extensions 40 and M, respectively, by which the guard may be readily and removably attached I to the opening in the sheet metal frame piece M with which it is associated. While the guard structure is comparatively rigid, it is sufficiently resilient to permit the wire ends 40 and M to be sprung under the bead of the frame'opening, the resiliency of the guard serving to hold it in proper position after assembly. The horizontal wires 38 are also provided with extensions 42 and 43 which project into the frame opening and serve to center the guard with respect thereto when in assembled position.

The particular shaping of the guard in combination with the center of gravity of the heater structure constitutes an important feature of the invention. As best shown in Fig. 6, in the event the heater structure is upset or otherwise displaced from its upright position in such a manner as to fall forwardly, the structure will automatically assume the position shown in which the heat, directed outwardly through the frame opening by means of the reflector I 2 and its associated heating elements, will be prevented from directly impinging the supporting surface diagrammatically illustrated in Figure 6 by the reference numeral 44. In other words, the heat rays are caused to be directed angularly away 'f-rorn the supporting surface so that, even though the heater should remain in upset position indefinitely, the supporting surface will not catch It is further to be noted that, due to the convex shaping of the vertical wires 88 from a position of maximum displacement from the heater body at their lower ends to a point of minimum displacement at their upper ends, the heater will automatically roll to the position shown in Fig. 6, even though it should initially fall forward into a substantially horizontal position or into position wherein the upper end of the heater was lower than the lower end thereof. The center of gravity of the structure is at a position substantially as indicated at 45, so that if the heater were to fall or be knocked forward to a greater degree than the position shown in Fig. 6, it would automatically rock back to the position shown in Fig. 6, wherein the heat rays, projected outwardly through the frame opening, would be deflected from the supporting surface, as previously described.

When in normal upright position, the lower end of the guard projects sufficiently forward from the front wall of the heater, whereby to preclude the heater being placed in too close proximity to a vertical wall or surface. The guard ll, due to its shape, thus protects against fire hazard when the heater is in normal upright position or in the event it should fall forwardly, the arrangement being such that in any forward fall the construction will automatically assume the safety position illustrated in Fig. 6.

The reflector structure is best shown in Figs. 5, 7, and 8 and comprises, in addition to the main U-shaped reflector piece 6 2, a pair of side plates 46 and ll (Fig. 8) flanged as indicated at 48 and 69 and suitably secured to the piece l2 as by spot welding 50. The reflector structure may be mounted upon the main frame by suitable means, such, for example, as the three screws 5!, 52, and 53.

The reflector piece [2 is provided at its lower forward portion with a series of openings 54 which, in cooperation with the main frame louvers 20, facilitate an upward draft of air through the heater along the front ofthe reflector and outwardly through the wire guard and associated frame opening. The inner surface 55 of the reflector piece I 2 may be plated or polished in any suitable manner and corrugated, if desired, to diffuse the heat rays. The reflector piece l2 also carries a series of refractory supports 56 and 51 which form the supporting means for the heating element l3 one h ating element or wire it to terminals als turn are connected to the electrical su ply lea "-s The bracket mounting the ters supported by means of screws 56 6 the c e& purposes oi illustration without cm the spirit thereof. ccordirigly, not to he limited to precise shown and described, but only as indicated in the following claims.

lhe invention is hereby claimed as follows:

' ctric heater of the type adapted to be rested upon a supporting surface, said ,3 coin rising a casing having a generally ,angul tanc-iail rectangular opening disposed in wall of casing having a lower posed below the median point of said he element within the casing and disposed to direct radiated heat outwardly through said opening, and a guard grill across the open ing, said grill havingta lower planar portion projecting generally horizontally outwardly at a sharp angle adjacent the lower margin of said opening to a substantial distance in front of the front wall, said grill having a portion extending in a curved plane upwardly and reawardlyfrom the outer extremity of said outwardly projecting lower portion to the upper margin of said opening and being outwardly convexly curved throughout the upwardly extending portion, said heater being constructed and arranged with its center of gravity below said lower margin of the opening and operative to exert a force causing said heater to roll to a position with the lower portion of the guard grill contacting the supporting surface if the heater becomes tipped over.

2. An electric heater of the type adapted to be removably rested upon a supporting surface, said heater comprising a casing having a generally rectangular front and rear wall and a substantially rectangular opening disposed in the front wall of the casing having a lower margin disposed below the median point of said front wall, a heating element within the casing and disposed for directing radiated heat outwardly through said opening, and a guard grill across the opening, said grill having a lower planar portion projecting outwardly generally horizontally at a sharp angle adjacent the lower margin of said opening to a substantial distance in front of the front wall, said grill having a portion extending in a curved plane upwardly and rearwardly from the outer extremity of said outwardly projecting portion to the upper margin of said opening and beingoutwardly convexly curved throughout the upwardly extending portion, said heater being constructed and arranged with its center of gravity disposed below the lower margin of said opening, and said convexly curved portion being configurated and disposed so that for any angular position of the heater when resting upon said convexly curved portion of the grill the center of gravity is located at a point intermediate between a vertical plane passing through the line of contact with the supporting surface, and the base of the heater.

3. [in electric heater or" the type adapted to be removab rested uponx support'mg surface, said heater comprisin a casing havin a u orally rectangular wall and rear and a substantially gular opening dispose in the front wall of the casiu saving a lower margin disposed below the median point of d front wall a heating element within the c g and. disposed for directing radiated outwardly I aid op n a g l across he o c. 1 having a lower planar per 9.113 horizontally projecting outward-= at a sharp angle adjacent the lower 1 said opening to a substantial distance in 'l the front wall, said grill having a portion extending in a curved plane upwardly and rearfrom the outer extremity said outprojectlng portion to the upper margin id heater being constructed and. a center of gravlgy below said lo i .i "he guard grill contacting the or ace the heater is tipped over, means within said casing and. be

'y in an upwardly and outwardly in clined direction out of said opening.

An electric heater of the type adapted to removably rested upon a supporting surface, s ieater comprising a casing having upstanding iront rear and side walls and a substantially rectangular opening disposed in the front wall of the casing and having a lower horizontal margin and opposed vertical margins, a heating elemerit within the casing and disposed for directing, and a guard grill across the opening, said grill having a lower planar portion projecting in a direction substantially normal to the front wall from said lower margin to a point substantially outwardly of said front wall, said grill having a convex portion extending in a curved plane upwardly and rearwardly from the outer extremity of said outwardly projecting portion to the upper margin of said opening, said heater being constructed and arranged with its center of gravity below said lower margin of the opening and operative to exert a force causing said heater to roll to a position with the lower portion of its front wall contacting the supporting surface when the said heater is arranged with said convex portion upon a supporting surface, the lower margin of the opening being substantially spaced from the lower extremity of said front wall but substantially below the median horizontal plane of the heater.

5. An electric heater of the type adapted to be removably rested upon a supporting surface, said heater comprising a casing having upstanding front, rear and side walls and a substantially rectangular opening disposed in the front wall oi the casing and having a lower margin disposed portion to the .upper margin of said opening and being outwardly convexly curved, said heater being constructed and arranged with its center of gravity below said lower margin of the opening and operative to exert a force causing said heater to roll to a position with the lower portion of its front wall contacting the supporting surface when the saidheater is arranged with said" convex portion upon a supporting surface, the

lower margin 0! the opening being substantially 1o centrally disposed in said front wall.

JAMES J. GOUGH. 

